El Al Israel Airlines to terminate South Africa flights
Israel’s national carrier El Al Airlines will discontinue all scheduled flights to South Africa within the next couple of weeks.
El Al Israel Airlines will scrap its South Africa route and end flights to Johannesburg within a few weeks.
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EL AL AIRLINES DROPS JOHANNESBURG ROUTE
The airline announced it will end all of its Johannesburg flights from the end of March 2024.
According to Jacaranda, El Al’s last flight from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg is set to depart on 27 March.
The longstanding service has been operated for close to 50 years, being an important link between South Africa and Israel.
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IMPORTANT SOUTH AFRICA LINK
The airline is the sole carrier operating flights between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport and Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.
This service is the only direct scheduled service between the two countries, meaning that it is an important connection for South African communities living in Israel, as well as South Africa’s Jewish communities who travel to Israel from Johannesburg.
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REDUCED PASSENGER DEMAND
El Al Airlines said it will be scrapping its direct flights to South Africa due to a significant fall in demand by Israeli travellers.
The axing of Johannesburg flights will allow El Al to expand the frequencies of its flights to other destinations.
The move also allows the airline to look at opening up flights to new destinations.
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EL AL’S RELIABILITY
The airline has been a lifeline for many passengers needing to get into or out of Israel during the past few months.
El Al Israel Airlines has continued to operate its flights to a great number of destinations across the globe in recent months.
Meanwhile, many other airlines halted services to Israel due to hostilities occurring in that country since 7 October last year.
The airline says that it will contact passengers whose flights are cancelled. It will offer several alternatives to affected passengers.